International Students

Getting Here

You should plan to arrive on campus in mid-August for the Fall semester, and mid-January for the Spring semester. Remember that you must be here for International Orientation, which is mandatory. Dates will be mailed to you with other information, and are also posted on the home page.

Flying to the United States

Start working with your travel agent or airline of choice as early as you can to arrange your trip to the United States. Most international students travel to Ithaca via New York City on the East Coast or Los Angeles on the West Coast.

Getting to Ithaca

If you will be arriving at JFK, or another large U.S. airport (such as Chicago, Los Angeles, Dallas or Miami), you should ask your travel agent to book the domestic portion of your flight on Delta or Continental Airlines, so that you may continue on to Ithaca by air. More information on the Tompkins Regional Airport (ITH) is available at www.flyithaca.com . If you find that there are no seats available to Ithaca, an alternative is to fly to Hancock International Airport, located in Syracuse, NY,(a larger city north of Ithaca), which is served by most major American airline carriers.

WE DO NOT RECOMMEND USING BUS OR RAIL SERVICE FOR YOUR FIRST TRIP TO ITHACA as these modes of transportation are relatively inaccessible from U.S. airports, difficult to use with luggage, and quite slow.